Two high school boys basketball teams heading in different directions crossed paths Saturday and started the new year the same way they ended the old one.

Shoreham-Wading River ushered in what promises to be a good year for the Wildcats with a 58-22 trouncing of Greenport in a non-league game in Shoreham. It was the eighth straight win for the Wildcats (8-1, 3-0 Suffolk County League VI) and the sixth straight loss for the Porters (2-7, 1-4 League VIII).

The difference between the teams was noticeable from the start. The Wildcats made their first five field-goal attempts, scored the game’s first 16 points and held a commanding 19-2 lead before the second quarter was seven seconds old.

Darius Bolling popped in a jumper for Greenport’s first points 3 minutes 58 seconds into the game. The Porters didn’t score again until Brendan Walker sank a pair of free throws 1:12 into the second quarter.

The Wildcats scored 12 straight points to create a 30-point margin at 41-11. Later, a 16-0 burst gave them their largest lead at 58-18.

The scoring balance that Shoreham-Wading River coach Kevin Culhane likes to see was in evidence. Jonah Caldwell, Dan Hughes and Jason Curran put up 11 points each as 10 Wildcats made the score sheet. The Wildcats’ bench surpassed Greenport’s total output by 2 points.

Curran made the most memorable basket of the day. After grabbing a defensive rebound in the waning moments of the third quarter, he rushed the ball down the court and pushed an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer ending the quarter. Swish! It went in.

It was that kind of a day for the Wildcats — and that kind of a day for the Porters.

Point production remains a problem for the Porters. A big problem. The game saw them mark their lowest point total for the season. They are averaging 40.6 points per game.

The Porters shot 23 percent from the field. In the first half, they went 2 of 16 on field goals.